5 Questions to Determine Whether Your Book Idea Will Support Your Business

Your passion. It
rocks your world. You wake up in the morning and — slam — there it is, ready and waiting to move and shake you. And
for a while, maybe it was enough to keep the joy of it to yourself. But now
you’re ready to take it to the next level. Now you want your passion to rock
other people’s worlds, too.

Now you’re ready to write a book that makes your
experiences available to a wider audience.

Odds are that adding a book to your list of
accomplishments is not going to hurt you. But how can you predict in advance
whether the investment will be worth it? Particularly if your passion and
expertise is a little out of the mainstream, you might be wondering whether a
book about it will sink or swim. Fair enough.

We have a few book-vetting questions that will help you
put your idea to the test.

1. Is the subject of your
book something that you know a lot about?

No matter how good you are at what you do, you’ve got to
have a lot of substance at your disposal in order to fill a book. That’s just
part of turning a good concept into something that will support your business.
If you want people to buy your book, you’d better have a solid amount of
information to tempt them with. When it comes to book-writing, you have to think
big, but you have to have plenty of details to cover, too.

2. Is your subject something
you will continue to study and learn about?

This is especially important if you intend to combine
your book with a larger business, such as a speaking career. You want your
speaking to inspire people to buy your book, but you also want your book to
inspire people to come back to you to learn even more about your subject. This
creates a circle of profitability for you. The more there is for you and your
readers to learn, the more you will be able to expand your business in the long
run.

3. Is your subject something
you present in a unique way?

If you’re like most people, yours won’t be the only book
out there that’s been written about your subject. So think about how you are
going to compete. Do you present your subject in a way that’s different from your competition? Do some research on this and find out. Even take some notes
on what’s popular and what’s not among buyers while you’re at it. Then ask
yourself if you can structure your book in a way that is unique. It’ll give you
an edge in the market that will ultimately result in a bigger boost for your
business.

4. Is your subject something
people will be willing to pay to read about?

To answer this question, again: Do some research. Is it
something that people are already paying for now? Is there a gaping hole in the
market that you will be able to fill with your expertise? If so, having a book
to satisfy that consumer need will likely be an asset to you.

5. Can your book help
you to promote additional product sales?

This is a little less critical than questions one through
four, but it’s valid nonetheless: Will reading your book inspire readers to buy
additional products or services from you? Take a minute and consider this by
making a list of things that you could use your book to help you promote (such as consulting, speaking or making a product). Then, for each of those big
concepts, make another list of items that could be useful supporting resources.
Products that your book might help you to promote could include websites,
videos, audio guides, additional books and so on. If your lists are long and
useful, you’re in good shape.

The publishing market is a big fishbowl. But if you
answered “yes” to the majority of these questions, then you’ve got all the
right tools to become a successful author. Get writing today, or get a free Author
Bridge consultation with a ghostwriter to help you figure out how to get
started on the book-writing process here.

“Thank you for your hard work, long hours, and commitment that you have put into this book. I would not be here if it wasn't for that one phone call. You believed in me, and I can't thank you enough for that, Helen.”

Nisa Burns, author of Kitchenability, from Acknowledgments section

“To Helen Chang, for your editing brilliance and incredible cheerleading. Any person who has the privilege to work with you is very lucky.”

Chad Mureta, Author, App Empire: Make Money, Have a Life and Let Technology Work for You

“To Helen Chang, noble warrior, editor, brave soul, and sojourner, who
covers all the bases we would have missed had she not been there.”

“Helen Chang, wow, we did it! From book jail to book hell to book
heaven, all in a few months. Your work ethic is unbelievable. You are a
woman of excellence and diligence. I enjoyed working with you, and I
love your heart for people.”

Dani Johnson, Author, First Steps to Wealth, Acknowledgments chapter

“[Author Bridge Media] has taken me from talking about writing a book
to actually having a book ready for the published market in under 4
months! Their support is amazing and if the author is willing to put in
the time necessary, it can and will be done with this team.”